I believe Boerboels are generally known for better health, as far giant breeds go, maybe ask Hayley on that one.

Boerboels tend to be more on the healthier side, but they still have their share of health issues and getting a Boerboel from a reputable breeder is a must.

SSA in the breed is pretty common, although there is breeders that have large groups living together but they usually run their household like a tight ship and I know that Linds has both sexes in her household so I don't think that would work unless you really wanted to work on it and I also know she keeps her dogs intact and a male intact BB can be pretty intense.

BUT Panzer is very easy going with a huge sense of humor and goofiness. And a huge cuddle bug, Plus an amazing off switch.

I was actually going to suggest an Australian Labradoodle... but every doodle I've ever met has been verrrry active as a puppy so it might be too much. OTOH an active puppy might be good for him, depending on how he'll deal with losing Hannah.
But of course even somebody who's health testing brings the possibility of hereditary diseases from both breeds into the mix. Hips and elbows, PRA, vWd are the biggest concerns although apparently Addison's is popping up in some of the Australian Labradoodles.

Borzois are big and longer lived than most other giant breeds. Most of the ones I know that didn't die from a random accident made it to 12-15. They're pretty healthy. Osteosarcoma can happen, but it's not terribly common. Most health issues in the breed can be tested for, the others people try to selectively breed away from (like bloat). I will say that of all the many borzoi I have met, none of have ever bloated.

They're also good at chillaxing. They do best if you have a big fenced yard they can get their zoomies out once a day in, before they come back inside and sleep for another 23 hours.

Oh god don't get a Leonberger. For some reason we have a fair amount of them here. I only know one who has lived longer than 8, and he's the only one so far that hasn't been either a medical or behavioral train wreck.

Oh god don't get a Leonberger. For some reason we have a fair amount of them here. I only know one who has lived longer than 8, and he's the only one so far that hasn't been either a medical or behavioral train wreck.

Really? Wow. That's not been my experience. The ones I've known have been really nice dogs and reasonably healthy.

Oh god don't get a Leonberger. For some reason we have a fair amount of them here. I only know one who has lived longer than 8, and he's the only one so far that hasn't been either a medical or behavioral train wreck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by elegy

Really? Wow. That's not been my experience. The ones I've known have been really nice dogs and reasonably healthy.

Yes and yes.

Leo's we meet around here are very nice dogs.
8 years old, however, is about it.
Some (a few) live longer but,
if you can get 8 years out of a Leo,
you've done pretty well.

Really? Wow. That's not been my experience. The ones I've known have been really nice dogs and reasonably healthy.

I definitely can't speak to the longevity, but I met a ton when I was training, because we have a local breeder. Every one was very well tempered in my experience. Just big and a little oafish.

Two of the four Shilohs I know have bite records, one a very impressive one, including a child. One I suspect probably has one by now; the fourth was very sweet. I know two were from the same breeder (the two with known bite records). I'm not sure about the others.

I know they've done longevity studies and dogue de Bordeaux had the shortest lifespan of any breed based on that study. I think it was around 6 years but I can't find it via phone to check sample size. I did see that the dogue de Bordeaux breed club has a page listing seniors- dogs who made it to 7 years old.